Long before Fidel Ramos became president of the Philippines, he was the 29th Filipino to graduate from the United States Military Academy at West Point. And he was part of a small, extraordinary line of men whose stories rarely make it beyond military history circles, despite the scale of what they lived through. Read more »
A blue glow on a ship’s mast, a fireball rolling across a field and a light that leads travelers astray. The santelmo has haunted Filipino folklore for generations, but some sightings may have natural explanations. Read more »
An anthill, a swollen foot, and a trip to the albularyo. In Filipino folklore, disturbing a tiny elder’s home can bring mysterious illnesses, while a simple “tabi-tabi po” may help you avoid offending unseen spirits. Here’s the story behind the nuno sa punso, how it differs from the duwende, and what traditional beliefs say about usog. Read more »
He has supposedly outlasted presidents, watched over palace staff, and smoked cigars from a centuries-old balete tree. Meet Mr. Brown, the legendary kapre of Malacañang, and discover the stories behind the palace’s most famous ghost. Read more »
By day, an ordinary neighbor. By night, a creature said to fly with half its body missing. Discover the folklore behind the aswang, its regional variations, and the real dangers of accusing someone of being one. Read more »
It sounds like an abandoned infant crying in the dark. Here’s what the tiyanak is said to be, where the belief came from, what old folks did to break its spell, and how a grieving mother’s ghost became a movie monster. Read more »
